UAE website selling overpriced match tickets

IPL tickets for the first leg of the tournament to be held in the United Arab Emirates are being black marketed with a websiteNew Delhi: IPL tickets for the first leg of the tournament to be held in the United Arab Emirates are being black marketed with a website cashing in on its popularity by selling the tickets at overpriced rates, according to media reports.

Tickets with a value of Dh80 (Rs 1308) are being sold for as much as Dh1,500 (Rs 24,527) through a website in the UAE.

The tickets are selling like hotcakes with the seventh edition of the IPL scheduled to commence from April 16. But an official from the Department of Economic Development (DED) has warned that scalping of the tickets is illegal.

“As it is anywhere in the world, buying tickets in bulk and selling them at three or four times higher than the original price is illegal. It is illegal to buy a large quantity of tickets online, so people tend to use false names,” said the official.

A ‘Gulf News’ report claimed that a Platinum ticket priced at Dh250 (Rs 4085) for the double-header on the April 19 in Dubai (Royal Challengers Bangalore versus Mumbai Indians followed by Kolkata Knight Riders versus Delhi Daredevils) was sold at Dh750 (12,255).

Meanwhile, the 1,00,000th ticket for the UAE games was sold yesterday, according to a BCCI press release.

The first part of the seventh edition of the IPL has been shifted to the UAE in the wake of General Elections in India. The UAE leg will host the first 20 matches from April 16 to 30, while the remaining 40 will be hosted by India from May 2. The final will be played on June 1.